Why pesto turns black

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Please indicate how you like to proceed:. I am not currently subscribed to PureWow. I am already subscribed to PureWow. Please log in to your account. Like What You See? Remember: You can always add more, but you can't take any out. Have you seen the price of pine nuts? They're crazy-expensive! Sure, there's a lot to love about pine nuts So buttery! So creamy! That's not saying you can never use pine nuts, of course, but with so many other tasty nuts, why not mix things up?

Kale is great with almonds, and sweet pecans would be a fine match for spicy arugula. Just because pesto is technically a no-cook sauce doesn't mean you're off the hook entirely.

For a truly dynamo pesto with tons of flavor, you must must! Cool them completely before processing, or they'll turn into a gummy paste. The fastest way to whip up a pesto is in a food processor, but that doesn't mean you can just dump everything in and start mixing. We tried four methods, including using vitamin C powder, which left our pesto with an odd sour taste, as well as parsley, which does contain the antioxidant ascorbic acid—just not enough to make a big difference.

Here are two methods that work. How It Works: Blanching deactivates the enzyme that causes browning when cut basil leaves interact with oxygen. Unfortunately, basil pesto quickly turns brown after it is exposed to air, so must be used promptly. I did an internet search to see if there was some way to keep my basil pesto the bright green color it is when you first make it, and first of all adding lemon juice to the pesto popped up.

I have done this, and although it helps, the pesto still turns brown. I then came across an article on Fine Cooking. Though skeptical, I decided to give it a try with some basil. Once the cooking process had been stopped and my basil had cooled, I squeezed it dry and went on to prepare my pesto.

I did add a little lemon juice which I like to add in my pesto anyway as I find it brightens the flavor just a bit. The pesto had no change in flavor, and we enjoyed a delicious pasta dish with my newly made pesto for dinner. I stored the leftover pesto in a bowl in my refrigerator covered just with plastic wrap and I was shocked to see that it was still bright green three days later. The color had darkened slightly, but after a quick stir, it was as green as it was when I first made it.

The blanching process also softens the leaves, which makes the pesto emulsify much easier creating a creamier sauce. Since my first experiment with blanching the basil went so well, I had my husband trim all of our basil on Saturday afternoon and made a bunch of pesto for the freezer. As well as tossing the pesto with hot cooked pasta, it is delicious served on top of vegetable soups or meaty stews, or mixed with roasted veggies throughout the winter months.

To make a great pesto you need just a few, right quality ingredients. Of course, freshly picked basil leaves are of top importance, but then I add garlic, lightly toasted pine nuts, salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice, and flavorful extra virgin olive oil. The oil is as essential as the basil in my mind, and we are lucky to have our own olive oil harvested from trees on our property.